Author Topic: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?  (Read 568920 times)

jengod

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1200 on: March 12, 2019, 11:12:08 PM »
The glass bottle idea is genius. I'm going to think how I can incorporate it and what else I have. Were you going to bury them upside down?

Yep, nose down.

I can’t take credit for the idea—cribbing off the Urban Homestead here in Los Angeles. Google for “glass bottle garden border” for more ideas and images. As best I can tell it looks prettier if your glass size and color matches but it’s quite flexible overall.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1201 on: March 21, 2019, 05:05:32 PM »
2 things in 2 days!

Yesterday I was looking for coffee to buy (I've been moving and am discombobulated) on my way to a meeting, and I brought my reusable mug! Not only was the lady at the donut shop I stopped in happy to use it, she didn't even charge me!

And today I rode my bike to work for the first time! It is biking distance from my new house. There are lots of issues around biking to work that I haven't solved yet--bad weather, darkness, needing to return library books, etc.--but none of them applied today, so I just went for it.

HappierAtHome

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1202 on: March 21, 2019, 06:50:45 PM »
Vanuatu is banning disposable nappies! News article about it.

I don't actually think disposables should be banned, because I think there are circumstances where they are an absolute lifesaver (we still use them overnight). But it is deeply interesting to me and signals a real commitment to reducing landfill.

londonbanker

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1203 on: March 21, 2019, 07:02:51 PM »
Following

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1204 on: March 22, 2019, 11:54:20 AM »
2 things in 2 days!

Yesterday I was looking for coffee to buy (I've been moving and am discombobulated) on my way to a meeting, and I brought my reusable mug! Not only was the lady at the donut shop I stopped in happy to use it, she didn't even charge me!

And today I rode my bike to work for the first time! It is biking distance from my new house. There are lots of issues around biking to work that I haven't solved yet--bad weather, darkness, needing to return library books, etc.--but none of them applied today, so I just went for it.

Awesome!  There are solutions to all those problems ;)

For sure! It helps that I don't wear makeup regularly or style my hair :-). I ordered another Wald basket for the other side of my bike, so that's a step in the right direction. Today I drove because I haven't thought out my rain strategy yet and it's supposed to storm, and also because those bones are sore AF. But I should be back on it tomorrow for going to the gym and maaaaybe the grocery store, depending on how much stuff I need to buy. (Need that other basket!)

draco44

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1205 on: March 22, 2019, 09:09:51 PM »
Two things! First, I anticipated having leftovers from a lunch out with a few colleagues, and brought and used my own container to take the leftovers home. This was a big step for me, because I hadn't tried bringing a container into a restaurant before. The food was saved, and no one batted an eye.

Second, I dropped off four books at a little community library box that I pass on my commute.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1206 on: March 26, 2019, 03:43:23 PM »
For sure! It helps that I don't wear makeup regularly or style my hair :-). I ordered another Wald basket for the other side of my bike, so that's a step in the right direction. Today I drove because I haven't thought out my rain strategy yet and it's supposed to storm, and also because those bones are sore AF. But I should be back on it tomorrow for going to the gym and maaaaybe the grocery store, depending on how much stuff I need to buy. (Need that other basket!)

Just know that you will get stronger every day you ride.  Get after it! :)

Thanks for the encouragement! I rode to the gym yesterday. My phone ran out of battery power after being used for turn-by-turn directions the whole way there, BUT the gym had bike maps and I found my way home! Today I drove to work because I haven't unearthed my bike lights yet and I have to work until 8 PM--and also I need to buy bread on the way home. BUT I did install my new second basket this AM so I am all set for next time! Friday and Saturday I should be able to bike to work if the weather cooperates.

Two things! First, I anticipated having leftovers from a lunch out with a few colleagues, and brought and used my own container to take the leftovers home. This was a big step for me, because I hadn't tried bringing a container into a restaurant before. The food was saved, and no one batted an eye.

Second, I dropped off four books at a little community library box that I pass on my commute.

Awesome! We need to normalize carrying around your own food containers!

Today I brought my own delicious homemade chocolate coffee in a repurposed jar instead of walking to 7-11 to buy iced coffee in a plastic cup. (I could probably bring my own cup to 7-11... but this is better :-) .)

Raenia

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1207 on: March 26, 2019, 03:58:27 PM »
Yesterday, but I forgot to post.  I rescued a box of bagels that had been left at my work over the weekend.  Quite stale, but they'll make delicious bagel chips to have with dip or hummus - or by themselves!

Anatidae V

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1208 on: March 26, 2019, 10:35:39 PM »
I bought a biodegradable/compostable phone cover for myself and DH, and I took my staple-less stapler to work so I get more use out of it. I may be buying a bunch as stocking stuffers for Christmas this year.

TrMama

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1209 on: March 27, 2019, 11:07:28 AM »
Not my action, but it'll be my job to implement. My 12yo has decided to stop eating meat. She's been making noises about this for a while and I've resisted because she's such a picky eater. Left to her own devices she'd happily attempt to live off pastries, pasta and potatoes and I didn't want her to set herself up for all the metabolic issues that diet would cause her.

However, she seems to have matured enough now to realize she'll need to eat some things she's not super keen on and that vegetarianism doesn't mean she can just eat refined carbs all the time. This could be an adventure!

Biked to work today. It's now dry and light both to and from work. So much nicer to ride when I can easily see where I'm going :-)

jps

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1210 on: March 27, 2019, 12:41:33 PM »
This was yesterday, but we decided to have tofu pasta instead of pulled pork.

Poundwise

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1211 on: April 03, 2019, 08:53:57 PM »
- in an effort to be less fat and bloated, I have started to walk to pick up my son to school.  It's not a lot of exercise because I have to walk slow enough for my daughter's little legs to catch up, but it's something... and even better, I'm not towing an unnecessary ton of metal back and forth with me.

- I encouraged a friend who is feeling discouraged in her battle against leaf blowers in her community.  I hate the noise, but also just learned this year that
"To equal the hydrocarbon emissions of about a half-hour of yard work with this two-stroke leaf blower, you'd have to drive a Raptor for 3,887 miles, or the distance from Northern Texas to Anchorage, Alaska."
https://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/emissions-test-car-vs-truck-vs-leaf-blower.html

> and I didn't blow the leaves on my lawn today. I never do. I mulch them or make a kid rake them. Doesn't what we DON'T do count?
« Last Edit: April 03, 2019, 08:59:58 PM by Poundwise »

nnls

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1212 on: April 03, 2019, 09:06:17 PM »
This was a few days ago but I havent been on the forum

- Made some beeswax wraps with my friends to us instead of containers/glad wrap

- Became an admin on a newly sprouted buy nothing group

Poundwise

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1213 on: April 03, 2019, 09:50:10 PM »
Oh! It's nice seeing this thread because my husband and I just committed to becoming eco-friendly. So many great posts/recommendations! I'll take note of some and show it to him soon.

As for us... we just began monitoring our water usage. I want to cut down our water bill, of course, but I don't want to be wasteful with water too.

Welcome to the thread!

On the subject of water usage, I nearly forgot my great achievement of the weekend... installing a dual flush toilet conversion!  Used this kit-- very happy-- high recommend. https://www.water-saver.org/
« Last Edit: April 03, 2019, 09:52:48 PM by Poundwise »

Anatidae V

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1214 on: April 03, 2019, 10:42:00 PM »
We drove to the train instead of driving to the city this week. Toddler LOVED going on the train, it took an extra 20 minutes each way and dropped our carntravel from 19km round trip to 4km round trip. Cost was $10 for public transport tickets instead of $19.50 parking ticket. I think we'll do it once a week to start with.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1215 on: April 04, 2019, 09:29:25 AM »
Currently pregnant (yay! 3 years later...) but I'm having some intense food aversions. Sadly, they're quite unpredictable and mean our veggies have suffered quite a bit of neglect. And we normally would put veg in the city compost, but even better, we're taken to feeding our dog homemade food, and it's easy enough to save up the veg going off in the freezer and cook it up into her food. Cost savings and eco friendly. Obviously I'm also trying to reduce the food waste, but it's a tough time for it right now! It gets to the point I can't even let my husband eat something, because I can't handle it cooking!

BIG win though: we've gotten successfully into the habit of going to a different grocery store that's a bit further away. And using our produce bags! So between walking to this one, and using the bags, we've been to Trader Joe's a *lot* less, which saves on a lot of plastic and the gas to get there. Plus this new store carries a lot of local products. Happy we successfully made the switch, Husband likes fancy stores and this one is a big rough around the edges, but he's been totally fine switching this time.

TrMama

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1216 on: April 04, 2019, 09:57:22 AM »
I got my new balcony veggies garden mostly set up last weekend. Although I bought a few big plastic pots, I'm trying to make the setup as waste free and economical as possible. So the big arched bean trellis was made out of 4 huge cedar branches that fell in the winter winstorms. Two tall pots are partially filled with big chunks of styrofoam since the beans won't need that much dirt anyway. Instead of pot risers (little feet that lift the bottom of the pot off the deck so everything drains better) I just collected all the plastic lids from our recycling. Turns out the lids from all the almond milk and orange juice we drink work perfectly. And I was able to harvest about 25L of compost from our bin to use in the pots. Once the seedlings are ready to be planted, I'll mulch the pots with composted guinea pig bedding.

I've biked to work everyday this week. Probably will tomorrow too.

Our family's conversion to a more vegetarian diet is going well.

Poundwise

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1217 on: April 05, 2019, 08:47:31 AM »
Two tall pots are partially filled with big chunks of styrofoam since the beans won't need that much dirt anyway.

Have you ever considered making self watering planters out of those tall pots, to save yourself some work? (google "self watering planter diy")  I had a lot of success with pots like that when I had a container garden.

@Bracken_Joy, that is wonderful news!!! I will be praying that you will be holding a happy, healthy, bouncing baby of your own soon! (or sending good luck vibes, if you prefer)  Get lots of rest (I used to need 18 hours of sleep a day) and nibble whatever you can handle, constantly.
« Last Edit: April 06, 2019, 05:52:13 AM by Poundwise »

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1218 on: April 06, 2019, 08:29:11 AM »
@Bracken_Joy, that is wonderful news!!! I will be praying that you will be holding a happy, healthy, bouncing baby of your own soon! (or sending good luck vibes, if you prefer)  Get lots of rest (I used to need 18 hours of sleep a day) and nibble whatever you can handle, constantly.

Thank you so much! <3 I'll gladly take well wishes in any form. Rest seems to happen whether I want it to or not... yesterday after my 'gentle yoga' class I fell asleep *sitting up* on the couch. Lol!

Hirondelle

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1219 on: April 06, 2019, 09:33:07 AM »
Went to the market and got all(!!) my veggies without any plastic packaging. Yay!

Hirondelle

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1220 on: April 06, 2019, 03:00:01 PM »
@Buffalo Chip, welcome! Just wondering what you mean when you call yourself a non/anti-environmental person?

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1221 on: April 08, 2019, 01:06:24 AM »
I am using my new "compostable" phone case (made by Pela, if anyone's interested). I like it so far, will be interested in seeing how durable it is.

Buffaloski Boris

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1222 on: April 08, 2019, 06:27:35 AM »
@Buffalo Chip, welcome! Just wondering what you mean when you call yourself a non/anti-environmental person?

Thanks for the welcome!  In answer to your question, I’m about getting rid of waste and come from the Christian perspective of stewardship and love for creation. That said, I’m not a fan of “environmentalism” as a social and political philosophy. So I don’t identify with it. In some cases like say composting or biking to work or taking action to not pollute unnecessarily or minimizing one’s consumption then I agree with those aspects of “environmentalism”and we’re getting to more or less the same place.  With other issues such as Global warming or avoiding/ eliminating children to minimize resource impact I disagree. Generally speaking I find myself disagreeing more with contemporary environmentalism than agreeing these days. And I really dislike the politicization. So, non/anti environmental.

okisok

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1223 on: April 09, 2019, 10:58:20 PM »
Finally found a heavy-duty bag for my compost in the freezer--a zipper dog treat bag! I was gifted some dog treats. I toss all of my compostables in the bag, which lives in the freezer. When it's full, I take it to the city garden site with a compost pile. In the past, I would just use a regular plastic zipper bags, but they always leaked (ewwww) in transport as the scraps started to thaw so I'd have to toss them after one compost run. I'm wasting fewer bags, and I took the compost to the city site on the way to run another errand. The sturdy zipper bag is back in the freezer, waiting to keep more biodegradable waste out of the landfill.
Combined all the errands today, so that I used as little gas as possible. I refused plastic bags, even when I ended up juggling items in my hands a bit to get them to the car.
Went to a friend's house to help them with a new hobby I'm good at, and she gave me a vintage outfit that no longer fit her in exchange for the lessons.
Rescued some wine corks for crafts and reuse. 

Poundwise

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1224 on: April 10, 2019, 10:15:01 AM »
I've been pretty good about cooking one more vegetarian dinner a week (making it two a week).   I also have been doing things like using fake chicken to supplement real chicken in a casserole... kids ate it up until I made the mistake of telling them, at which point they started fishing it out and saying no wonder why it tasted funny.  But at least they ate a serving and a half before they stopped.

One more vegetarian dinner a week for six people is almost like a single person going vegetarian all the time!

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1225 on: April 10, 2019, 05:25:51 PM »
Even though it was exhausting, I batched multiple far away errands so I just took one trip in the car. (Excuse me while I go collapse now...)

Hirondelle

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1226 on: April 11, 2019, 12:01:06 AM »
@Buffalo Chip, welcome! Just wondering what you mean when you call yourself a non/anti-environmental person?

Thanks for the welcome!  In answer to your question, I’m about getting rid of waste and come from the Christian perspective of stewardship and love for creation. That said, I’m not a fan of “environmentalism” as a social and political philosophy. So I don’t identify with it. In some cases like say composting or biking to work or taking action to not pollute unnecessarily or minimizing one’s consumption then I agree with those aspects of “environmentalism”and we’re getting to more or less the same place.  With other issues such as Global warming or avoiding/ eliminating children to minimize resource impact I disagree. Generally speaking I find myself disagreeing more with contemporary environmentalism than agreeing these days. And I really dislike the politicization. So, non/anti environmental.

Ah got it! I wouldn't call that anti as anti to me means that you're actively against it. Like I'm non-religious, yet definitely not anti-religious (see the difference?). I cannot imagine anyone being against reducing plastic waste anyways, so yeah I'm glad you're joining in.

As I'm interested, why do you disagree on the points about global warming and lower birth rates? I get that the Christian standpoint is to get children and let them be good for the world and all that (was raised wishy washy catholic) but do you think our human population can grow endlessly or that we're just not even close to a problem yet?

nessness

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1227 on: April 11, 2019, 10:38:22 AM »
I organized my cubicle at work today, and saved all the paper that was blank on one side for my kids to color on.

nessness

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1228 on: April 11, 2019, 10:53:51 AM »
@Buffalo Chip, welcome! Just wondering what you mean when you call yourself a non/anti-environmental person?
Ah got it! I wouldn't call that anti as anti to me means that you're actively against it. Like I'm non-religious, yet definitely not anti-religious (see the difference?). I cannot imagine anyone being against reducing plastic waste anyways, so yeah I'm glad you're joining in.

As I'm interested, why do you disagree on the points about global warming and lower birth rates? I get that the Christian standpoint is to get children and let them be good for the world and all that (was raised wishy washy catholic) but do you think our human population can grow endlessly or that we're just not even close to a problem yet?

Sure. I agree with the premise that climate change happens over time as we of course know there were ice ages and other times when the polar ice caps weren’t in evidence. Where I part ways with the contemporary environmentalism is in whether western industrial and transportation practices have all that much impact. It is not “settled science” as much as some would like it to be. And in any case, even if you do accept that we humans have a disproportionate impact, and I don’t, we’re probably looking at the wrong issues. Overconsumption of resources (gluttony) is probably more to the point. There is a reason why tropical forests get put to the torch: end the demand for the resources that are being sought and you take away the incentive for destruction.

As for kids, it’s the same sort of issue. Yes, children have an impact. But that is a consumption issue for the most part. If the parents are clueful and minimize consumption it isn’t that big of a deal. Further, larger families are more efficient families as consumption per person tends to be decreased. For clueful parents, larger families can be weaponized low consumption social units. And those kids will be the leaders of tomorrow. As for total population I don’t think it’s a problem. As societies become more industrialized and economically wealthy, births drop. The birth rates in western countries are crashing. The infrastructure is already there in most western countries to support more children.

The recurring theme is consumption and avoidance of overconsumption (gluttony) on a macro scale. A very mustachian concept from what I can tell.
The science of climate change being caused by humans, and particularly by burning fossil fuels, is absolutely settled. The well-regarded intergovernmental panel on climate change puts it at greater than 95% likelihood, and if you're familiar with observational sciences, they never say anything is 100% true - greater than 95% is as confident as you're going to get on anything. I'd encourage you to read this link and the report linked in its first reference.
https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

I agree at least in part with point on large families. The population exploded largely because there was a lag between declining child mortality and declining birth rates, but birth rates are declining now too, and a lot of people think the population will eventually stabilize.

nessness

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1229 on: April 11, 2019, 10:03:38 PM »
@Buffalo Chip I know this isn't a thread for debating so I won't press the issue any further. Welcome to the thread!

Dollar Slice

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1230 on: April 12, 2019, 07:08:14 PM »
This week I've been doing some in-depth price comparisons on things at different grocery stores that seem environmentally better (organic/post-consumer packaging/sustainable etc.) to see if I can find some improvements in my shopping habits that are not outrageously overpriced. (I've already done this with most things I buy frequently, but these are items I buy only occasionally, so I haven't done the legwork yet.)

So far I found popcorn that is only 5 cents more per ounce than the mass-market brand for a more sustainable/pesticide-free/organic product from a company that donates some of their profits to charity. And I found cookies that are organic and use post-consumer recycled packaging that was cheaper than the regular mass-market brand. I'm also hoping the food will be better quality, but I haven't eaten any of it yet :-)

I also resisted the siren call of taking a taxi on a rainy night when my transit pass wasn't working. Would have been 6 miles of driving each way.

heiding

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1231 on: April 16, 2019, 05:08:55 AM »
Hello!  I've just found this thread and have read a lot (not all yet!) of it, and love the ideas and inspiration and different points of view.

To join in - I've been thinking about my own impact on the environment.

*The Good*

I realised that every piece of furniture I have is second-hand (I guess its all vintage/retro/antique/found/given).  I like older style, so much of my other stuff is sourced from flea markets and op shops - which also entertains me!  I'm having some chandeliery light fittings installed in a couple of days - also second hand.

I don't have a car, I bus to and from work and walk a lot.  I love riding my bike, which I will once I get it fixed. 

I never use a dryer.  I have shortish showers, and don't water my lawn (perpetual drought).  I don't have or want air-conditioning or a dishwasher. 

I use a fan in my bedroom in summer - I'm in Canberra, Australia and we have very hot summers (regularly 40+) and very cold winters (regularly -5 to -10).  I have a small double-brick house which helps keep it cool-ish.  I just bought an electric mattress topper blanket thingie, which I'm hoping will help reduce the need to use my ducted heating (first time I've ever lived in a Canberra house with proper heating - yay!).  I will find some bubble wrap to bubble glaze - thanks for the idea!  The previous owners added a deck and two sets of sliding doors (yay!), but didn't double glaze them (boo).

I make most of my own food - but do buy lunch sometimes, as it avoids food wastage.  Particularly for more complex salads etc as I live alone (kids grown up) and find I don't always use up food before it goes off.  Kids both went vegan when they were young teens (not anymore) for about four years.  I kept a vegan household and made them learn to cook - worked a treat.  I would have cheese and yogurt and such, but only outside the house so they felt supported.  I hardly ever eat red meat, never have really.

I realise that growing up my Mum was very frugal indeed, due to lack of money and general lack of consumerism at that time (I was a kid in the 1970s and 80s). Meat was expensive and we rarely had treats.  Didn't miss it as we didn't have or expect it, other than birthdays and other special occasions.  She made a huge effort to provide interesting and healthy food for us, through careful budgeting and planning.  No car a lot of the time, so I'm used to that too.

**The Bad**

I'm failing in the garden department - too much grass and no fruit trees or vegetables yet.  I moved here about a year and a half ago and have tons of fixing to do inside (still unpacking and reducing the amount of stuff). 

**The Ugly**

Nup, that'd be mean. 

Thanks for the cool thread.  Btw - I'm a rambler :D



« Last Edit: April 16, 2019, 05:11:52 AM by heiding »

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1232 on: April 16, 2019, 02:29:17 PM »
Biked to work!

mountain mustache

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1233 on: April 16, 2019, 07:36:13 PM »
biked to work, packed a lunch, used cloth towels instead of paper towels to clean the kitchen (trying to break a bad paper towel habit)

TrMama

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1234 on: April 17, 2019, 11:03:24 AM »
Two tall pots are partially filled with big chunks of styrofoam since the beans won't need that much dirt anyway.

Have you ever considered making self watering planters out of those tall pots, to save yourself some work? (google "self watering planter diy")  I had a lot of success with pots like that when I had a container garden.

They actually are self watering pots, but they're so tall with such small looking reservoirs at the bottom that I'm worried they won't be able to wick properly. I did leave a couple "channels" of potting soil open when I put the styrofoam in so hopefully I'll be proved wrong. The styrofoam is just a big solid chunk, not a pile of little bits.

With still 8 workdays left in the month, I've already hit my monthly bike mileage goal. My motivation is being greatly helped by a recent jump in gas prices. It's up to $1.62/L (or $6.10/ga), which is a new record. Every day I bike past hundreds (thousands?) of cars sitting in gridlocked traffic, idling away their overpriced tanks of gasoline, and think, "These people are all using the wrong tool for the job."

I'm doing better at making the kids help cook and clean up from dinner. That's helping keep our meat consumption down without sacrificing the quality of our diet.

Tom Bri

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1235 on: April 18, 2019, 08:37:29 AM »
For the last few years we have used a solar cooker to preheat cooking water, raise bread dough and such things. It was good enough to almost but not quite reach boiling temperature. Last week I started working on a replacement. It is done except for the 'seasoning', which is simply putting it in the sun a few days to heat it up and set the glue and paint. The paint gives off fumes until completely baked dry.
The thermometer gave a reading of 250 F (121 C), but I suspect I need a new thermometer, since water didn't boil!
Cost of materials, paint, glue, reflector was about $20. It could easily be made for a lot less.
Design is similar to this one:
https://www.greenoptimistic.com/solar-oven-cardboard/#.XLiIouopU0g

msministache

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1236 on: April 18, 2019, 09:10:14 AM »
Posting to follow.

Today I am working from home, avoiding 20 miles commute.
I am going to drop off our food scrapes in city's garden compost bin.
I am mostly buying my groceries in zero waste shop (pantry items, such as rice, beans, etc) using my own bags and jars. And produce (not wrapped in plastic) I will get in the closest store I can walk to. 

And today and any other day I am resisting temptation to buy a new car and replace my 03 Camry)

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1237 on: April 18, 2019, 09:20:06 AM »
It was pointed out to me yesterday by a friend... I rarely travel. In the past 6 years, I think I've taken 1 flight, and it was only a couple states over. Generally, we stick local with our travel. I know air travel is a "sacred cow", but it does still have a carbon footprint, and I hadn't really considered being on the "right" side of that one!

Been continuing to walk a ton. Love where we live!

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1238 on: April 18, 2019, 03:50:18 PM »
Apparently my kids want to do Easter. I didn't think they believed in the Easter bunny. Oops.

The grass is wasteful, but it's festive--so I went to Goodwill, where they take open packages that other people are getting rid of and combine them, so at least it is not new manufacturing. I also got a couple of cheap wicker baskets rather than buy new, single-year cutesy things from the dollar bin at Target. Bonus: supports Goodwill.

seattlecyclone

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1239 on: April 18, 2019, 09:32:11 PM »
The fill valve on our toilet broke the other day. When I was at Home Depot to get a new one I noticed that for $15 more than a replacement fill valve, you can get a kit to convert any old toilet to a dual-flush model (push the handle up for liquid waste and down for solid waste, with each setting configurable to use exactly as much water as is needed and no more). I picked that up, put it in, and now we'll be using less water on every flush.

Dollar Slice

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1240 on: April 19, 2019, 01:01:06 AM »
Question for y'all: is Carbonfund.org a legit/decent organization? I am trying to use up some rewards points before they expire - I don't have enough points for 95% of the options, but one of the things I have enough points for is a donation to Carbonfund.org to purchase carbon offsets. I just wanted to check and make sure it wasn't scammy or something before I pushed the button... I did some light googling but didn't come up with anything useful, so I figured I'd check with the hive mind here in case someone had already done the research.

wenchsenior

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1241 on: April 19, 2019, 08:48:32 AM »
RE: Carbonfund.org, @Malaysia41  might know.

lakemom

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1242 on: April 19, 2019, 10:53:23 AM »
Used up a bunch of leftovers in the fridge for lunch.
Bought some more of these reusable ziploc bags for storage and lunches https://amzn.to/2XtCm1c
Scrounged up all the bits of Easter grass in the box to fill the baskets for the kids instead of buying new.
Bought half as much candy for the baskets as "normal" and will fill half their eggs with quarters.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1243 on: April 19, 2019, 12:18:09 PM »
Requested a bin for composting! This will cost me about $10/month but is commercial composting run by the city, so I'll be able to put everything in there that you can't do at home--weeds, pizza boxes, etc.--as well as banana peels and whatnot.

okisok

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1244 on: April 19, 2019, 04:53:16 PM »
Realized that the outfits that I consistently get compliments on, and feel most comfortable in, are almost all secondhand. Either gifted to me or purchased from a thrift store.

HappyCheerE

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1245 on: April 20, 2019, 06:49:26 AM »
We live in an apartment building. I noticed this morning that one of the electric baseboard heaters in the stairwells was on when it shouldn't be. The maintenance people are supposed to adjust them (no knobs) but rather than phone it in (weekend, who knows when they'd get to it) I turned it off with the stem.

Poundwise

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1246 on: April 20, 2019, 08:48:23 AM »
Bought half as much candy for the baskets as "normal" and will fill half their eggs with quarters.

Brilliant!

Malaysia41

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1247 on: April 20, 2019, 01:43:26 PM »
RE: Carbonfund.org, @Malaysia41  might know.

I haven't looked too closely into it. All of my self-imposed carbon taxes go directly to vegan activists and Represent.Us. Sorry I couldn't help

Imma

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1248 on: April 21, 2019, 10:55:44 AM »
I downloaded an app against food waste, where you can buy leftover fresh products from several supermarkets, hotels and bakeries in the area. So far both yesterday and today everything seemed sold out in no-time though.

What is the name of the app?  It sounds promising.

Too good to go.

Started in Denmark and it's now available in more countries, not sure if it's available in the US yet though!

I picked up leftover groceries from the organic store and sushi from a new restaurant yesterday. A massive (45cm) organic bread, two types of yoghurt, vegan fish fingers and 8 1/2 rolls of sushi for the grand total of €8.

The only downside to the app is they sell out so quickly... It's really popular in my city.

Hirondelle

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Re: What small things did you do today to reduce your environmental impact?
« Reply #1249 on: April 21, 2019, 11:31:06 AM »
I downloaded an app against food waste, where you can buy leftover fresh products from several supermarkets, hotels and bakeries in the area. So far both yesterday and today everything seemed sold out in no-time though.

What is the name of the app?  It sounds promising.

Too good to go.

Started in Denmark and it's now available in more countries, not sure if it's available in the US yet though!

I picked up leftover groceries from the organic store and sushi from a new restaurant yesterday. A massive (45cm) organic bread, two types of yoghurt, vegan fish fingers and 8 1/2 rolls of sushi for the grand total of €8.

The only downside to the app is they sell out so quickly... It's really popular in my city.

That sounds awesome! I have checked the app several times but it's always sold out :(. I've seen one of the bakeries that still had sth available once, but I thought I'd be getting too much for myself to finish as I don't have much freezer space and don't wanna eat bread 24/7 for 2 days straight :p. So for now I deleted the app again, guess I will retry in a few months.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!